Social media videos have become an extremely popular and effective way for brands to reach and engage with their target audiences. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram make it easy for anyone to create and share video content. Cross-posting the same video on multiple platforms is a common social media strategy to extend reach and get more views.
This article will provide tips on how to successfully post the same video on both TikTok and Instagram. We’ll cover formatting differences between the platforms, editing for each platform’s constraints, optimal posting methods and captions, hashtag strategies, and more. The goal is to help you maximize engagement and views by tailoring your video content for each platform while still maintaining brand consistency.
Benefits of Cross-Posting
Cross-posting the same video to both TikTok and Instagram has several key benefits. The most notable is reaching a wider audience across multiple platforms. As Buffer notes, cross-posting allows you to “cast your net wider” by exposing your content to your followers on different networks [1]. Rather than only reach TikTok viewers or only Instagram followers, cross-posting makes your video visible to your combined following across both platforms.
This wider distribution can lead to increased engagement, since users on TikTok may interact differently than users on Instagram. Cross-posting gives your content more opportunities to be seen, liked, and shared. As Dripify highlights, it provides “more avenues for your target audience to discover your brand” [2]. Overall, tapping into multiple platforms’ audiences gives your video a better chance of going viral and maximizes the return on your content creation efforts.
Formatting Differences
One key difference between TikTok and Instagram is the preferred video format. TikTok exclusively uses a vertical video format, while Instagram offers more flexibility.
On TikTok, videos must be recorded vertically in a 9:16 aspect ratio. This vertical orientation fills the entire screen when users are scrolling through their For You feed or viewing videos on the platform. According to metricool.com, “TikTok is designed for vertical videos and all the elements within the app follow this logic.”
In contrast, Instagram Reels can be recorded vertically or horizontally. Square 1:1 videos will take up the center of the screen with blank space on the sides when viewed vertically. Horizontal videos will have black bars at the top and bottom when viewed vertically in the Instagram feed. However, some recommend shooting horizontally for Reels and letting Instagram crop it to vertical, as the horizontal format allows more flexibility for repurposing content.
Overall, the strict vertical format of TikTok creates a more seamless viewing experience tailored specifically for mobile devices. But Instagram provides creators with options to choose the orientation and dimensions that work best for their content goals and multi-platform strategy.
Trimming/Editing for Each Platform
When cross-posting between TikTok and Instagram, it’s important to tailor the video length for each platform. The ideal video length differs between the two:
For TikTok, videos should be between 7-15 seconds long. According to research by Buffer, in mid-2021 internal TikTok data recommended videos be 11-17 seconds. However, by end of year, the ideal range was 7-15 seconds [1]. Keeping videos short and concise is key for holding viewer attention on TikTok.
For Instagram Reels, longer videos tend to perform better. Ideal length is 30-60 seconds according to Hootsuite [2]. You have more flexibility to tell a story or provide more context.
When cross-posting, you’ll likely need to trim a longer video down for TikTok, while you can repurpose the same video full length for Instagram. Use editing software to cut clips down to the ideal length before posting.
Posting Methods
There are two main ways to post a video on both TikTok and Instagram – using a social media management tool or manually posting.
Social media management tools like Hootsuite allow you to easily schedule and publish your content across multiple platforms. You can upload your video once and the tool will post it to TikTok and Instagram for you at the scheduled times. This saves a lot of time compared to manual posting. Most tools also provide analytics so you can track performance across platforms.
Manual posting involves exporting your video from TikTok or screen recording it, then uploading directly to Instagram as a new post. This takes more effort, but allows you to customize the content specifically for each platform. For example, you may want to trim the video length for Instagram or edit the caption. Manual posting also lets you post spontaneously rather than on a schedule.
In general, social media management tools are best for efficiency and reaching both platforms easily. But manual posting gives you more customization ability per platform.
Caption Strategies
While the video itself remains the same, the optimal caption strategies differ between TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok, shorter, punchier captions work best to grab attention and get more views. You want to entice people to watch till the end. Recommended TikTok caption lengths are generally 25-100 characters. Some effective formats for TikTok include using creative hooks like “Watch till the end to see what happens,” asking a question, or using a witty/funny phrase or pun (Source).
For Instagram, you have more room for longer captions of up to 2,200 characters. Instagram lends itself to telling more of a story or providing context for your video. Engage your audience by sharing background details or explaining why you created the video. Asking thoughtful questions and using emojis can also help increase engagement (Source).
Regardless of platform, customize your caption to your brand voice and tailored for each specific video. While keeping captions platform-optimized, maintain some consistency between TikTok and Instagram to reinforce your brand identity.
Hashtag Optimization
Choosing the right hashtags is crucial for reaching new audiences and getting your content seen on both TikTok and Instagram. While some hashtags like #fyp and #viral are popular on both platforms, each one has its own unique trends and communities. According to TikTok’s hashtag analytics Trend Discovery, some current top hashtags on TikTok include #palworld, #lamarjackson, and #congelar. On Instagram, top hashtags tend to be more general like #love, #follow, and #music according to best-hashtags.com.
When cross-posting, tailor your hashtags for each platform. Look at trending or popular hashtags on each and add a mix of general and niche tags. You can use a tool like MetaHash to analyze the best hashtags. Use no more than 10-15 hashtags total to avoid looking spammy. The key is choosing relevant tags that will put your content in front of interested audiences on TikTok and Instagram.
Engagement Techniques
Responding to comments is an important engagement technique on both TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok, creators should respond to comments, especially in the first hour after posting, to increase engagement and boost the video’s performance in the algorithm (source). On Instagram, responding to comments shows followers you value them and care about creating a community. This leads to higher engagement rates (source).
Duets and stitches on TikTok allow creators to engage directly with another user’s content. These features help expand reach and start collaborative relationships. Instagram recently introduced a similar feature called Remix. Using it strategically can help broaden your audience and increase engagement through collaborative content (source).
Analytics Review
After you’ve started cross-posting content to both TikTok and Instagram, it’s important to analyze how each platform is performing. Review key analytics like views, likes, comments, saves, shares, followers growth, and engagement rate on each platform. As noted on TikTok’s Creator Portal, the analytics tab provides insights into your audience demographics and behavior (TikTok Creator Portal). Similarly, Instagram and third-party tools like Hootsuite offer analytics on content and audience performance (Hootsuite).
Compare metrics between TikTok and Instagram to see if one platform outperforms for your niche and content style. This can help you allocate more time to the better-performing platform or adjust your strategy on the weaker-performing platform. Continuously evaluate analytics over time as you refine your cross-posting approach. The key is optimizing content and engagement for each platform’s algorithm and audience.
Conclusion
In summary, cross-posting the same video to both TikTok and Instagram can be an effective strategy to increase your reach and engage your audience on multiple platforms. While the core video can remain the same, you’ll want to tailor each post for the specific platform by editing length, captions, hashtags and more. Analyze performance on each platform and continue to refine your approach. The key is providing a consistent yet tailored experience that delights your community across both TikTok and Instagram.
Keep innovating new ways to capture attention and encourage participation on both apps. Test which videos resonate best on each platform. Leverage the unique features and culture of TikTok and Instagram while staying true to your brand voice. With smart cross-posting and optimization, you can efficiently expand your audience and boost engagement.
